November 19 and 22, 2021 - Recount

Ward 2 City Council Recount

A recount of ballots cast in the Ward 2 City Council race was requested by candidate Yusra Arab, who was 19 votes behind candidate Robin Wonsley Worlobah in the vote totals certified by the Municipal Canvassing Board on Nov. 12. This vote margin allowed for a publicly funded recount. See Minnesota Statute § 204C.36. The scope of the recount was limited to determining vote totals for the winner and runner-up in the final round of ranked choice voting tabulation.

The Ward 2 City Council recount began on Nov. 19 and was completed on Nov. 22. All 9,799 ballots cast in the race were examined and sorted into piles for the Robin Wonsley Worlobah, Yusra Arab, and a pile for all other ballots. During that sorting process, the candidate or candidate's representative could challenge the election officials’ determination as to which pile a ballot was placed in. Wonsley Worlobah challenged 10 ballots; Arab challenged 12. A summary of the recount results is below.

Council Member Ward 2 - Recount Summary Nov. 22

Candidate	Original certified vote total	Recount vote total	Challenged ballots from recount
Robin Wonsley Worlobah	4,056	4,046 (-10)	10 challenged by Wonsley Worlobah
Yusra Arab	4,037	4,032 (-5)	12 challenged by Arab
All other candidates	1,706	1,699 (-7)	-
Total ballots	9,799	9,777	22 total challenges

The challenged ballots were presented to the Municipal Canvassing Board on Dec. 1 to reach a final determination on each ballot and certify the results of the recount. Of the 22 challenged ballots, canvassing board members sustained the original determination by recount officials for 21 ballots and overturned the original determination for 1 ballot. The allocation of challenged ballots and final results of the recount are shown in the table below.

Council Member Ward 2 - Canvassing Board Summary Dec. 1

Candidate	Recount vote total	Challenged ballot allocation	Final certified vote total
Robin Wonsley Worlobah	4,046	9	4,055
Yusra Arab	4,032	10	4,042
All other candidates	1,699	3	1,702

With the final results of the recount certified, the Canvassing Board declared Robin Wonsley Worlobah to be the winner with 4,055 votes.

See the marked agenda and supporting documents from the Dec. 1 Canvassing Board meeting

 

November 2, 2021 - Original tabulation

Municipal Election

This was a ranked-choice voting (RCV) race. Voters were asked to rank up to three candidates. After three rounds of tabulation, Robin Wonsley Worlobah was elected. The data below shows results from the original tabulation prior to the Ward 2 recount.

Council Member Ward 2 - Original tabulation

Candidate	First-choice votes	Final round votes	Final round percentage
Robin Wonsley Worlobah	2,763	4,056	42.6%
Yusra Arab	2,719	4,037	42.4%
Cam Gordon	2,508	Eliminated round 3	-
Tom Anderson	982	Eliminated round 2	-
Guy T Gaskin	546	Eliminated round 2	-
Undeclared Write-ins	9	Eliminated round 2	-

 

Total votes cast	9,527	Total votes counted in the first round. Does not include undervotes, overvotes, defective, or spoiled ballots.
Tabulation threshold	4,764	The number of votes sufficient for a candidate to be elected. Half of votes cast for office + 1, disregarding fractions.
Undervotes	272	Ballots where the voter did not rank any candidates for the office.